Snacks at Nectar

Nectar (located in Berwyn, PA, USA) offers great food, atmosphere, and people watching. Thus, I like to stop in there at random times to spur the imagination and satisfy a culinary craving. The latest excursion was for drinks and snacks as you’ll see here, beginning with the dim sum sampler for two:

Dim Sum for Two at Nectar.

Amazing flavors there. Clockwise from upper left, you have the fried dumpling, spring roll,  pork pot sticker dumplings, edamame dumplings. The drink backing the platter was a berry martini (not consumed by me because you know I’m a strictly whiskey imbiber). Then we moved on to some lobster ravioli that you see next:

Lobster ravioli at Nectar.

Very, very good. It’s hard to have just one order of them. Then, just to pack things down, I went with the steamed pork rolls. This is a very creative dish. A slice of pork cooked exactly right with a sort of hoisin sauce, tucked inside a steamed roll. The roll has a consistency I’ve never had before: smooth inside with a firm outside but no “crust” like area. Take a look:

Steamed pork rolls at Nectar.

Wow. So there you have it. Another pleasant foray into food fun at Nectar. Well-made drinks here, too, and a staff that knows what they’re doing. This place gets it right every time.

A return to Republic, lunch

Republic serves a quick (if noisy) lunch at their place on New York City’s Union Square. I’ve been stopping in here for years and have never been disappointed. They have those giant noodle dishes as well as a selection of others over rice, which are more to my liking. Here’s a look at the fried wonton appetizer:

Fried wontons at Republic.

That’s a great way to start the meal. The sauce is tangy with lots of flavor and just a touch of heat. And those wontons are packed with diced stuff that will get your taste buds excited. Moving on to the main course, I went with the grilled pork chop over “broken rice,” which is how the menu describes it. Take a look:

Grilled pork chop at Republic.

That’s a tasty bowl full of goodness. The portion seems a little small, but with the appetizer, it’s the perfect amount. Seating at this joint is a little crowded, giving you the opportunity to eaves drop or meet new people. Enjoy every meal!

Melt Down

No, not a nuclear incident, rather a grilled cheese. I’ve been driving past this place for a while now and finally stopped in to give it a try. Pleasant surprise and mild shock. First, let’s talk about the food. There’s a row of sandwich grillers behind the counter so I ordered up the usual, ham and cheddar on Italian white bread. On the side, smoky corn chowder soup with bacon. Here’s the sandwich:

Melt Down ham and cheddar.

As you can see chips and pickle come with the sandwich. Then there was the soup, which you can see here:

Melt Down’s smoky corn chowder.

Both items were tasty and perfectly cooked, if a bit heavy. This is going to be great food on a cold, rainy November day, or in the depth of winter. Service is very friendly, too. Prices are a little high for what you get, almost $15 for the pair above with a soda. Still, if you’re on Lancaster Avenue in Wayne, PA and need a comfort food fix, this place will do a good job.

DiNic’s Roast Pork, video

Located in Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, Tommy DiNic’s roast pork sandwich was voted the best sandwich in the USA by none other than Alan Richman. I decided to try it for myself. Here’s the video:

That’s a darn good sandwich. Every element is perfectly cooked. Flavor pops from the first bite to the last. There is a long line, too, proving it’s not just me but a lot of people who think DiNic’s does a fine job. There’s also roast beef and beef brisket, both of which I need to go back and try. Stay tuned here for a follow up, also on my YouTube Channel, lenswork4.